There has been known a lure disclosed in Patent Document 1 as a conventional art, for example. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, such a lure 100 according to the conventional art includes a body 200, a sinker moving spatial portion 300, a steel ball 500 (spherical sinker), and a magnet 600. The sinker moving spatial portion 300 is provided inside the body 200 so as to extend in the anteroposterior direction of the body 200. The steel ball 500 is accommodated in the sinker moving spatial portion 300 and is movable along the sinker moving spatial portion 300 in the anteroposterior direction of the body 200. The magnet 600 is provided at the portion end of the sinker moving spatial portion 300.
The magnet 600 has a surface exposed to the front portion side of the sinker moving spatial portion 300. Accordingly, when the steel ball 500 moves to the front portion of the sinker moving spatial portion 300, the steel ball 500 is directly attached to the surface of the magnet 600 due to magnetic force thereof. The sinker moving spatial portion 300 has side surfaces that are provided with left and right projecting side rails 310 and 312, respectively. Also, the sinker moving spatial portion has an upper surface that is provided with an upper rail 314 projecting downward. These left and right side rails 310 and 312 as well as the upper rail 314 are each formed as a long projection that extends in parallel with a central axis of the sinker moving spatial portion 300.
When the lure 100 is shot, the steel ball 500 is detached from the magnet 600 and moves toward the rear portion of the body 200. Accordingly, the lure 100 flies far away. On the other hand, when the lure 100 reaches the surface of water, the steel ball 500 moves toward the front portion of the body 200 and is attached to be retained at the surface of the magnet 600 due to the magnetic force thereof. When the steel ball 500 is retained at the magnet 600, the front portion of the lure 100 is weighed. When the lure 100 is pulled in this state, the lure 100 swims with the rear portion being swinging to the left and right.
In this manner, in the lure 100 according to the conventional art, the steel ball 500 moves forward and backward in the body 200, so that the center of gravity of the lure 100 is made shiftable.
In the lure 100 according to the conventional art described above, the steel ball 500 moves in the sinker moving spatial portion 300 while being in contact with the distal end surfaces of the left and right side rails 310 and 312 as well as with the distal end surface of the upper rail 314. These rails 310, 312, and 314 prevent displacement in the right-left direction and/or in the up-down direction of the steel ball 500 that moves in the sinker moving spatial portion 300. Furthermore, each rail 310, 312, and 314 prevent displacement in the right-left direction and/or in the up-down direction of the steel ball 500 retained at the magnet 600. The expression “displacement in the right-left direction” refers to a phenomenon that the steel ball (sinker) is shaken in the right-left direction with respect to the central axis of the sinker moving spatial portion. On the other hand, the expression “displacement in the up-down direction” refers to a phenomenon that the steel ball (sinker) is shaken in the up-down direction with respect to the central axis thereof.
However, provision of the respective rails may not always prevent sufficiently such displacement in the right-left direction and/or in the up-down direction of the steel ball 500 attached to the magnet 600. If the steel ball 500 attached to the magnet 600 is displaced in the right-left direction and/or in the up-down direction, the steel ball 500 may be detached from the magnet 600 or may be shaken while the lure 100 is swimming, which may adversely affect the swimming action of the lure 100.
More specifically, a steel ball of any size is generally accommodated in a sinker moving spatial portion in order to set buoyancy of a lure (as mentioned above, the steel ball serves as a sinker of the lure). For example, a steel ball of a large diameter is used if the lure is desired to sink deeper. In contrast, a steel ball of a small diameter is used if the lure is desired not to sink very deep.
In the lure 100 according to the conventional art described above, if a steel ball of a small diameter is accommodated in the sinker moving spatial portion provided with the respective rails that can fit a steel ball of a large diameter, it is not possible to sufficiently prevent displacement in the right-left direction and/or in the up-down direction of the steel ball of the small diameter attached to the magnet. On the other hand, a steel ball of a large diameter cannot be accommodated in the sinker moving spatial portion provided with the respective rails that can fit a steel ball of a small diameter. In other words, the steel ball of such a large diameter needs to be accommodated in the sinker moving spatial portion provided with the rails that each project by a shorter length (the rails that secure a wide gap between the distal end surfaces facing each other). On the other hand, the steel ball of a small diameter needs to be accommodated in the sinker moving spatial portion provided with the rails that each project by a longer length. In this manner, the lure 100 according to the conventional art requires provision of the sinker moving spatial portions 300 that correspond respectively to the steel balls 500 of different diameters.
However, such provision of the sinker moving spatial portions respectively for the steel balls of various sizes, in other words, production of bodies of a plurality of types respectively for the steel balls of the different sizes, leads to increase in production cost for the lure. On the other hand, if a steel ball of a small diameter is accommodated in the sinker moving spatial portion (one sinker moving spatial portion) provided with the respective rails that can fit a steel ball of a large diameter, it is not possible to sufficiently prevent displacement in the right-left direction and/or in the up-down direction of the steel ball of the small diameter attached to the magnet as described above.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application Publication No. S63-20766 A
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lure including a spherical sinker that is movable so as to shift the center of gravity of the lure, preventing displacement in the right-left direction and/or in the up-down direction of the spherical sinker retained at a front portion, as well as achieving reduction in production cost therefor.
The lure of the present invention includes a body, a sinker moving spatial portion provided inside the body and extending in an anteroposterior direction of the body, a spherical sinker accommodated in the sinker moving spatial portion to be movable along the sinker moving spatial portion in the anteroposterior direction of the body, and a retainer provided at a front portion of the sinker moving spatial portion and can retain the spherical sinker due to magnetic force thereof. A partition is provided between the front portion of the sinker moving spatial portion and the retainer, and the partition has an inclined surface portion that is gradually reduced in thickness from the sinker moving spatial portion toward the retainer.
The preferred lure of the present invention has the partition having a circular hole, and the inclined surface portion is located to surround the circular hole.
In the lure according to the present invention, the spherical sinker retained by the retainer at the front portion of the body is unlikely to be displaced in the right-left direction and/or in the up-down direction. The present invention thus provides the lure that swims with the rear portion being favorably swinging to the left and right. Furthermore, such the lure according to the present invention can be obtained with a relatively low price.